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Jewish congregations to mark Hanukkah with events

Sun-News Reports, .
Published 4:23 p.m. MT Nov. 25, 2015

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Families light menorahs, a custom of the eight-day Jewish festival of Hanukkah, during a 2014 celebration at Temple Beth-El in Las Cruces. The temple plans another community event this year on Dec. 11. A second congregation, Chabad, also will host a giant menorah lighting the evening of Dec. 6 in Mesilla to mark Hanukkah.(Photo: Temple Beth-El)

LAS CRUCES - The Jewish community of Las Cruces will host a series of events to celebrate Hanukkah in upcoming days.

The first event, hosted by Chabad Jewish Center, is a pre-Hanukkah menorah-building workshop. It's set for 1 p.m. Sunday at The Home Depot, 225 Telshor Blvd., Las Cruces. The family event is open to the public and free of charge.

"Participants will receive a worker's apron and then craft their own unique menorah from wood and a host of other supplies available at The Home Depot," according to a Chabad Jewish Center news release.

A menorah is a type of candelabrum that's a focal point of the eight-day celebration of Hanukkah, which this year starts at sundown Dec. 6.

The yearly holiday, also known as the Festival of Lights, marks the Jewish people's recapturing of their Jerusalem temple from a more-powerful Seleucid Empire in 165 B.C.E. They removed a statue of the invaders' ruler and took steps to purify the temple.

Giant menorah lighting

At 5 p.m. Dec. 6, Chabad Jewish Center will have a public lighting of a 9-foot-tall menorah on the plaza in the town of Mesilla, as well as a Hanukkah concert. The menorah is one of 15,000 that will be lit by Chabad congregations worldwide to symbolize religious freedom, according to the news release.

"Following the menorah-lighting ceremony, hundreds will dance, sing and eat the night away with a special concert by the Rogers Park Band, an award-winning Hassidic folk/pop duo out of Chicago, Illinois," the news release states.

“The menorah serves as a symbol of Las Cruces' dedication to preserve and encourage the right and liberty of all its citizens to worship God freely, openly and with pride," said Chabad Rabbi Bery Schmukler of Las Cruces. "Specifically in America, a nation that was founded upon and vigorously protects the right of every person to practice his or her religion free from restraint and persecution, the menorah takes on profound significance, embodying both religious and constitutional principles.”

This year’s Hanukkah celebrations have "added significance, as Jewish communities worldwide celebrate the year of Hakhel, a once-every-seven-years opportunity to celebrate Jewish unity and learning," according to the news release.

"Throughout the year Jewish synagogues and organizations are hosting communal gatherings for men, women and children dedicated to encouraging Jewish observance," according to the Chabad news release.

There's no charge to attend the Mesilla event. Information: www.JewishLC.com.

Sixth-night celebration

On Dec. 11, another Jewish congregation — Temple Beth-El — will host a celebration at its synagogue at 3980 Sonoma Springs Ave., in Las Cruces on the sixth night of Hanukkah. The event starts at 5:30 p.m.

It will begin with a "dairy/vegetarian" potluck dinner featuring potato pancakes, a signature food of the holiday, according to a news release. At 6:30 p.m., a service to mark a Sabbath day that falls during the eight days of the festival will start. It will include families lighting Hanukkah candles and the playing of special music. Attendees can bring their own menorahs.

Following the service, a “dreidels and dessert” segment will feature Hanukkah delicacies and games with dreidels, four-sided tops traditionally affiliated with the festival.